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Robert Saleh snapped a photo of Aaron Rodgers running out of the tunnel for the season opener while wearing a No. 8 New York Jets jersey and holding the American flag on his phone.
On September 11, the Jets game at MetLife Stadium was the loudest it has ever been, with fans yelling for Aaron Rodgers and everything he stood for as a symbol of a beleaguered team. Saleh occasionally shows people that picture to remind them of the Jets’ potential in 2023, before Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles four plays into the team’s opening offensive drive of the year.
The injury made the Jets reevaluate their goals, and they decided to settle for seven wins instead of going for the Super Bowl. That would see them through until Rodgers returns in 2024.
The playoffs were no longer the goal. It was a matter of survival.
Although New York achieved its seven-win target, losing Rodgers revealed underlying issues within the organization, the most significant of which may have been the notion that the quarterback’s skill and charisma could mask shortcomings in the offensive line, coaching staff, and team culture.
The Athletic spoke with 30 people inside and outside the Jets organization to gain a better understanding of the problems that led to another disappointing season. Some of these sources were given anonymity so they could talk openly about the team’s internal operations without fear of retaliation. These reports detailed an excuse-making team, a head coach who was paranoid, an offensive coordinator who lacked the necessary skills, and an organizational tunnel vision for the quarterback that infuriated some teammates.
The Athletics requested a comment from the Jets, but they declined. A text message asking for comments was not answered by Rodgers.
A star-studded defense that kept New York in games became irritated that the offense couldn’t find a way to score more points in a battle that took place frequently at Florham Park. Furthermore, offensive players believed that Nathaniel Hackett, Rodgers’ hand-picked offensive coordinator, had not adjusted to the loss of his quarterback and had not placed them in positions of success.
The Jets’ 13-year playoff drought is now the longest among the four major professional sports in North America. They lost five games by 20 points or more.
“It’s just such a f—ing mess,” a Jets coach exclaimed. “There needs to be a change.”
On August 31, Rodgers took a seat at a long conference table surrounded by reporters. Years before, when Rodgers was poised to take over in Green Bay, Brett Favre, the former star quarterback for the Packers, sat at the same table in the same room as a Jet.
“Hopefully, that’s the only thing that reminds me of home,” grinned Rodgers.
When the Jets were getting ready to relocate to MetLife in 2008, owner Woody Johnson yearned to bring in a major player to help boost ticket sales. Favre was only with the team for one season, and although it began well (8-3), the team finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs. Johnson had assured head coach Eric Mangini that he would be safe prior to the trade, but Mangini was fired. Favre was freed.
When Rodgers became available fifteen years later, Johnson was once again overcome with stardom.
On January 26, the owner authorized Hackett’s hiring in an attempt to court the four-time All-Pro. After Hackett was brought on as the Packers’ coordinator in 2019, Rodgers won MVP honors in 2020 and 2021, and the quarterback grew close to the coach. However, Hackett was also leaving the Denver Broncos after a disastrous 15-game tenure as head coach; Sean Payton, Hackett’s successor, referred to the run as “one of the worst coaching jobs in NFL history.”
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The lengthy line of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers: “Just tell the truth; you wanted to move on.”
Before Rodgers officially joined the team in April, the Jets made him feel at ease in other ways, including by pursuing some of his former teammates and friends in free agency.
On March 14, the first day of free agency, they signed wide receiver Allen Lazard to a $44 million contract. They also courted Odell Beckham Jr. before he signed with the Ravens, and after Rodgers signed with New York, they added receiver Randall Cobb, tackle Billy Turner, and quarterback Tim Boyle. Additionally, tight end Marcedes Lewis and offensive lineman David Bakhtiari were on Rodgers’ wish list.
It was unusual for the quarterback to remain for off-season training while he was with the Packers. He gave it everything he had to alter the organization’s culture, both on the field and in meetings.
When Green Bay General Manager Brian Gutekunst selected Jordan Love in the 2020 draft, he felt abandoned and deceived. Rodgers had direct access to general manager Joe Douglas while he was in New York.
